Moment of truth for peace plan

Palestinian leaders are ill-serving their people in stubbornly rejecting “everything to do with” Donald Trump’s long-awaited “Deal of the Century” Middle East peace plan, even before its full details emerge. These could be revealed in Washington this week when Mr Trump meets Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli opposition leader General Benny Gantz. Given the importance of a plan that has been worked on for three years, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas should be there. Still peeved over Mr Trump’s 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which Mr Abbas wrongly claimed would cause mass unrest in the Arab world, he pre-emptively rejects “everything” Mr Trump does.

Given the social, economic and security woes confronting the Palestinians, his attitude is counter-productive. That said, what is known of the Trump plan is unlikely to bring much joy to Ramallah. It is expected to allow Israel to annex much of the West Bank, including the Jewish settlements, and all of Jerusalem, with the Palestinians granted a form of self-rule under tight restrictions. With the backing of wealthy Gulf states, it is also likely to be closely aligned with last year’s announcement of a $US50bn investment plan to lift the Palestinian territories and neighbouring Arab economies out of poverty. The plan needs to reinvigorate the search for Middle East peace, dormant since negotiations collapsed in 2014.

As Israeli leaders head towards an unprecedented third election in a year on March 2, with polls suggesting it could be inconclusive, they also need to embrace whatever momentum the plan generates. Mr Netanyahu, a wily politician, sees it as a potential boost for his re-election hopes. Mr Gantz testily insisted he would discuss the plan with Mr Trump alone, not with Mr Netanyahu, highlighting the mistrust at the heart of Israeli politics. Mr Gantz intends to rush home after seeing Mr Trump to attend a parliamentary meeting to thwart Mr Netanyahu’s request for immunity from prosecution on corruption charges.

The Palestinians deserve better than the dead-end leadership that has sidelined them from meaningful input into Mr Trump’s deal. Israelis, too, deserve better than the partisan pettiness that has prevented the Jewish state getting a government with a new mandate. Mr Gantz has rejected repeated offers from Mr Netanyahu to form a government of national unity, leaving the interim government badly constrained. It has been unable to proceed with new infrastructure and crucial defence procurement, including Iron Dome interceptors. Israel’s interminable political crisis has delayed Mr Trump’s plan for a year. Israeli and Palestinian leaders should seize it. But if the Palestinians are playing for time, hoping for a Trump defeat and his replacement by a more malleable Democrat, they may be disappointed.